Social: The First International Conference of Negro Workers

In July 1930, George Padmore was instrumental in organizing an international conference which launched a Comintern- backed international organization of black labor organizations called the International Trade Union Committee of Negro Workers.

The First International Conference of Negro Workers was held in Hamburg, Germany from July 7-8, 1930.  The gathering was attended by seventeen delegates and three fraternal delegates, from seven different countries and was formally called by “ The International Trade Union Committee of Negro Workers”, an offshoot of the Profintern.

The Provisional Executive Committee responsible for convening the conference was headed by James W. Ford of the National Committee of the Trade Union Unity League which included in it M. Ali, M.E Burns, Mary Burroughs, Otto Hall, Johnstone Kenyatta, Isaac Munsey, George Padmore, Lucas Prentice, Henry Rosemond and W. Thibedi.

After thinking it through the Conference elected the following to take care of the following charges: Executive Committee: Secretary : James W. Ford; Members: I. Hawkins, Garan Kouyatté, Frank Macaulay, Helen McClain, Albert Nzulu, George Padmore. E. Reid, E.F Small; Alternate: M. Kotani.

The main report was delivered to the Conference by James W. Ford, who received help from George Padmore that delivered other reports. Padmore (Economic Struggles and Tasks of the Negro Workers) , William Wilson ( The Struggle against Forced Labor and Poll Tax) and Frank Macaulay ( The War Danger and its Significance to the Negro Masses).

The gathering of all this new charges adopted a series of resolutions on black workers and the labor movement, the struggle against forced labor, in opposition to the British Labor government, on black workers and the war danger, against lynching, and in favor of international solidarity of the black working class.

All this affect and changed Negro’s way of living and how people saw them.